Rick DiPietro was back on the ice yesterday, and while his status for tonight’s game against the Rangers remains uncertain because of the eye injury he suffered on Saturday, the fact that he was able to face some shots was a relief to the Islanders.

“The stick did actually catch me in the eyeball, but I guess I was fortunate that I kind of blinked upwards and took it off the white part of the eye rather than the pupil,” the goalie said after practice yesterday in Syosset.

A gash near his right eye is still evident and he remains bothered by blurred vision, but he said that condition had improved steadily. The injury came from an inadvertent high-stick from Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby that managed to sneak through his mask.

“Anytime you have an injury where he had one, in a very crucial part of his body, that’s scary,” coach Ted Nolan said. “We’re thankful nothing real serious happened. He looked good [in practice], and we’ll see how he feels [today].”

DiPietro, who has had multiple concussions, insisted that wasn’t even a concern this time.